Thursday, September 30, 2010

The part of Birmingham and the part of Nashville we live in are very similar.

In Nashville, we lived in Antioch. In Birmingham, we live in Roebuck.

Both cities have a reputation for not being the safest places in certain parts of the towns. Where we live/lived just happens to be on the places that people think of as not being the best in the world.

Both towns make people look at you a little bit cock-eyed when you tell them where you live.

Both towns make you want to explain to other people; 'it's ok ... I live in the nicer part of town! Honestly!"

Both towns have 24/7 cop patrol

....wait...

In Antioch, we would always see cops driving around and patrolling the area. I could not make the 1 mile drive to the Kroger without seeing a cop driving on the road. And then when I got to the Kroger, there was another cop standing watch at the front doors. There was even a cop that hung out at the Sonic from nightfall till when they closed. It's amazing how safe you feel when there's a cop on every corner.

In Roebuck ... well, Andrew is the only one who has ventured out in this area after dark. He called me and told me that I am not allowed to leave after dark. (Thank goodness Trussville is just an interstate exit away) The only cop he has seen was in plain clothes and an undercover car.

But I have seen cops ... in the 8 days that I have driven to and from work, at least 4 of those days there was a cop patrolling speeders. And they are not just sitting there and having people slow down ... no these coppers are tricky. More than once they are pulled up flush at the end of a bridge at the end of a curve so they just kinda blend in. Yesterday the dude was lurking in the shadow of an overhang.

Not that I know what goes on internally, and not that I'm trying to make judgments, but it seems to this 'never had a speeding ticket' citizen, that Birmingham Police may have their priorities at tad out of wack. It seems like they are focusing more on speeders ... which is a source of revenue; than making their presence known in the more crime struck areas of town. Maybe I'm completely off base ... but then again maybe I'm not ... maybe they should just run a cop car in front of my house every now and then to make me shut up (lol).

At least Trussville is only 7 interstate miles from here; they have bright lights and a better reputation ...

Monday, September 27, 2010

that would make for a pretty crappy post, but a very true one, lol. Saturday we drove to Nashville and cleaned up the apatment, turned our keys in and drove home in time for the second half of the Auburn game. Sunday I rode with my family to Dothan (~4 hours south) for Aunt Lucinda's funeral. This morning I went to work and had a pretty full day.

i am tired ...

so now as I sit here at 6:30 pm drinking a cup of coffee ... I have words somewhere, but I just can't seem to type them out. Instead, I'll share a few videos that make me smile!

This is a video of us playing around the new house. The hardwood floors have helped Audrey master walking in her little walker. It's too cute!

Proud Auburn band member for 4 years ... 2003-2006. Love watching this! Still gives me chills!

War Damn Eagle!

that is all!

hope I made you smile too ... unless your a Bama fan ... then you should feel nervous because the Tigers are coming in after you in November!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Great-Aunt Lucinda was always so little.She had a hunch on her back just big enough to shrink her a few inches, and wore her pants pulled up so high I imagined they were touching her bra.I looked forward to visits down to Dothan to see her and Uncle Curtis.Mom always warned us about the messy house, the carpets that were never vacuumed, and well we should just keep our shoes on inside.But I didn’t care.I loved the antique furniture and the ice cream sandwiches kept in the extra freezer in her walkway.

Aunt Lucinda loved to hear me play the piano.She had a piano in her ‘formal sitting room’ that she practically begged me to start playing before I even got in her house.Her piano was always out of tune and some of the keys stuck, but she could not be happier to listen to me play.I loved looking through her music stored in the piano bench.Sheet music from the 1900’s and before; books filled with old hymns; pages yellowed and corners taped; I would spend hours sorting through her sheet music.When she moved to a nursing home, my parents brought me many of those sheets, and one day I hoped to preserve and frame some of them.I think she willed her piano to me … that’s how much it meant to her.

She was an amazing woman all around.She was a basketball player, and a basketball coach in the 50’s for the high school.She would tell stories about practices were they were not allowed to dribble the ball.She loved Auburn football and bleed orange and blue.I’m pretty sure she graduated from Auburn (I’m sure her husband did), and if I had to guess, she was out pushing for women’s rights.

My all time favorite memory of Aunt Lucinda involves the infamous 'bump' downtown Dothan. If you take the street that goes through downtown (give me a break ... I was a kid, not driving yet) there is a part where the street raises and if you go fast enough your car rises off the road and it feels like you are flying. We were driving downtown; my Dad at the wheel, Aunt Lucinda in the passenger seat, and my mom, my sister and me crammed into the backseat. We were approaching this bump in the road, and Dad just was not driving fast enough for Aunt Lucinda. She looked over at him at said "Give in a little gas Charles!" and he did ... and we flew over that bump like no other time and laughed about that day for years.

When her son was around 15, he got Scarlet Fever and became very sick; extremely sick; so sick that the high fever affected his mental capacity. He survived.She gave up everything to be with him.I know she loved him so very much.Glenn is still alive at around 60, and we often figured that was one of the reasons she lived so long.She just wasn’t ready to leave her baby boy yet.

She took my mom and my uncle in after their mom passed away.She was the one that hooked my Mema and my Papa up.Mema was Aunt Lucinda’s hairdresser when Aunt Lucinda decided that her brother needed a new wife, and his kids needed a new mom, and Abby Jane was the perfect woman for it.

In my small stooped Aunt, I always saw power.Her eyes were always bright with life, even after her husband passed away.Her hugs were always the strongest and most powerful hugs.She was so stubborn … drove her car all the way until they took it from her, but she loved strong too.

Even though my babies never had the chance to meet her, I always sent pictures.Mema made sure she knew their names, and told her whose kids they are.I know she was proud, and I know she was proud of me.

Over the years, I have been influenced by my Great Aunt, but I never really realized just how greatly until I began to reflect on my memories of her. You may assume she was my Great Aunt because she was older, but I think she was my Great Aunt because she was Great!

Thank you Aunt Lucinda for loving like you did.Rest in Peace and when we meet again in heaven, I expect a strong tight hug and a big War Eagle!

The Red Dress Club has reminded me that you can't know where you are going until you know where you are from.

I am from Saturday morning soccer games and Sunday morning church, from Umbro shorts and Old Navy skirts.

I am from the white house on the cul-de-sac with the ever-changing flower beds, babbling creek at the bottom of homemade trails, and friendly golden retriever always escaping her pen.

I am from the transplanted willow tree saved from new home construction, the row of crepe-myrtles always blooming down the driveway.

I am from evening dinners around the kitchen table and dessert on the couch.

I am from the determination to meet perfection, where I know I can dream to reach the stars with hard work and elbow grease; and from a faith that reminds my lifestyle is my greatest witness.

From ‘hats on the bed are bad luck’ and ‘bread and butter’ should always be spoken when clasped hands are parted.

I am from Methodist services rich with tradition; hymns sung from the heart.Where family never lacked in pot-lucks and car washes, and a friendly hug and smile was always around the corner.

I'm from the home of Vulcan and the Heart of Dixie, sweet tea and barbeque sandwiches.

From the times my mom and I tried to make the flowers grow in my own special garden to the afternoons spent helping my dad cut trails in the backyard, and the evenings on the deck eating home grilled burgers and swatting at mosquitoes.

I am from photo albums and scrapbook boxes, family traditions that pass through the ages and new ones being formed everyday.I am from my past and loved sparked from the memories of a sight, a smell or a familiar chord.

also linked with Ms. 4444's Saturday Sampling; a wonderful way to meet new blogs!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Good Morning Lovelies! You all rock!!!! I haven't updated in like 5 days, and I haven't lost any followers! Thank you all for sticking around ... I hope you will continue to.

The move was ... well honestly it was pretty stressful, but I don't know of any other way to move. But the house ... it makes all the stress worthwhile. It is perfect! I wish I could find my camera cord so I can share it with you. It's in a box ... somewhere.

I discovered a tragedy yesterday at work ... the have Blogger BLOCKED! How can they do this to me! Sigh ... I was ok when I saw facebook was blocked (expected that), but blogger and my fantasy football pages are blocked too! Andrew has no sympathy though, and told me 'welcome to the world of real jobs'; not that Vandy wasn't a real job ... I just had a lot of free time and a lot of time to social network. I think it's really funny that when I tell my IRL friends about my new job they are all like 'oh no, what about your blog?' Don't worry friends, I'll just have to change my schedule a bit so I can blog in the mornings before work!

Well ... off to the coal mines errr i mean lab. Can't wait to tell you more about my job! Here's a sneak peek ... I've already embarrased myself! Yesterday I dropped a pen on the ground and instead of walking over to it to get it, I reached super far forward in my rolling office chair (have you figured out where this is going?) and it slipped out from under me, and down I went! The guys came rushing over to me, but the only thing hurt was my pride. Then I had to wipe to coal off of my pants. Oh the horror, lol!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

I woke up the other day singing the song. It is amazing! Here's just a little snippet from the lyrics:

"You looked into my life and never stopped

And you're thinking all my thoughts

Are so simple, but so beautiful

And you recite my words right back to me

Before I even speak

You let me know, I am understood"

I wasn't so annoying that I put it on endless loop, but I highly suggest listening to it over and over again!

I am....nervous about moving. No, I'm not nervous about the process of moving, but I am nervous about living in Birmingham. I grew up in Birmingham, and I still see it as the city I grew up in. I see something, and it reminds me of my childhood. I'm nervous that I'm going to have troubles with feeling like I'm still a kid. I'm nervous that I'm going to make new memories in the same city and forget my old memories. I'm nervous that no one is going to understand why I'm nervous about this ...

I should...be at home packing, but instead I'm at work checking Facebook while waiting for my gel to cool. Wanna know why I check facebook at work?

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Christy from Just Thinkin' and Lisa from The Sarcastic Lab Rat came up with a new idea to help boost brain power and decrease blogger's block. The 'Self Reflection' title comes from the fact that this is a meme to focus on YOU! We all love reading about our kids, our dogs, our cats, our bunnies, our spouses, etc ... but here is a place for you to reflect on YOU and your thoughts. Every week we will all meet together here and expand our brain and our friendships though a writing prompt.

ok guys ... I'm super late with this (SORRY!) ... packing is driving me crazy. I just wanted to throw this post up as a place holder, and I'll be back with a better one soon!Rules:-Please only link-up posts that pertain to the given theme-Either include the Self Reflections button or hyper link back to either blog in your post-Only link up the url of your actual post not of your entire blog --to do this; click on your post title and copy that url into the link-Try your best to visit the other people around you-Always have fun! Feel free to email me with any questions: c.killion@yahoo.com

Seriously though, what would look better in our new home than those beauties?

Day 2: Re-upload a post you wish more people had read and explain why it was important to you.

Honestly, a lot of people did read the post I'm about to put below, but I think it is the best post I have ever written. It explains my past without coming out and saying it, and it also explains what I one day hope to share ... somehow.

March 25, 2010

No one ever asked me ...

No one ever asked me to start having sex in college before I was married.
But I did it anyways…

No one ever asked me if it was ok with me to get pregnant out of wedlock. If I was strong enough to handle it. Did I even think this could happen.
But they did ask me if I was ready to be a Mom. At that time the words stung and shocked me. I didn't want think about it; I didn’t even want to consider it.

No one ever asked me why I started missing classes in college. Why I wore huge bulky sweatshirts in May. Why I missed the weekly Bible studies I had attended for so long. Why I locked myself in my room for hours on end, eating away my emotions.
But you know what, I didn’t want them too. I didn’t want to face the judgment, the shame I knew was coming. I wouldn’t have to if I hid in the dark.

No one ever asked me if I was scared.
But I was. So scared I flip-flopped everyday on whether adoption or marriage was the correct answer. So scared I cried myself to sleep at night on my pillow. I would've lied to them anyway.

No one ever asked me if I truly loved Andrew.
But I hope no one had to. I hope they could see if on my face. I hope they don’t think we only got married because it was forced on us.

No one ever asked me how they were to act around me. How they could accept this mistake from me.
But I was blown away with the love that flowed my way when I stepped out of the shadows. I am forever grateful to those friends and families.

No one ever asked me if I loved my Leah.
But I know they could see that in my face, in my eyes, in the way I lived my life.

No one ever asked me what I’m going to do with my story now.
But I thought about it. I’m going to share it. I’m going to laugh about. I’m going to cry about it. And maybe one day I’ll be able to share it with other young girls. And maybe one day I will affect someone out there.

No one ever asked me if I wanted my life to turn out this way.
But it doesn’t matter. I love the life I have been given. Sure, it can be complicated. Sure, we have our struggles. None of that matters because it is my life, and I always remember that God never hands you anything you can’t handle.

Brought to you by prompt #5 from Mama Kat's workshop...5.) Why didn’t they ask you? Write a list of 5 or 10 sentences that begin with the words ‘No one ever asked me’; then, write about one of them in detail, or use them all in a poem, or use several in a personal description of yourself.

Changes are coming for me and my family! In case you haven't heard, we are moving from Nashville to Birmingham in T-7 days. Yup, that's this Sunday.

I also feel like I need to make some changes here. I'm not exactly sure what, but something needs to improve. That little widget over there says I have 331 followers ... but I don't know all of y'all and I surely don't hear from many in comments.

So, my writing isn't interesting enough to come comment ... I'm not trying to self-deprecate promise; I want to start asking questions at the end of my posts that may encourage people to come share with me. I'm not in the 'favorites ... must comment' list for many people, and that may be because I don't know them well enough.

In real life ... I am shy. I've never had a ton of friends; I'm better at making friends and then sticking to them like glue, but I want to change that. I feel almost anxious to email someone out of the blue. I have made some absolutely wonderful friends by doing that, but I want to be more approachable to more people.

So, I'm going to try to figure out Twitter better, make a Facebook page, and hopefully figure out and start a Blog Frog group.

Most importantly ... I need to wrap my head around what my whole concept for this blog is.

So, there ya go ... changes all around ... the leaves are changing colors, we are changing states, I am starting a new job, and I'm re-vamping my blog.

Would love suggestions!!!!!

Oh, and have I shown you pictures of the house we are renting? too excited!!!

built in 1955 and re-done by the owner

beautiful hardwoods throughout the home

it even has a playroom!

There still will be Self Reflections Tuesday tomorrow ... thinking of making a new button for it though... the topic is: Describe a typical day of your life as an animal. You pick the species!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Just for fun of creative writing; I thought I'd share this with my friends. I want to increase my writing so maybe y'all want to too. Each Saturday morning (I promise morning next time) I will post the theme and a linky. Write and link back up before Monday night. Have fun!

"Beverly Cooper and Kenneth Salvador meet when she discovers someone has broken into her house. One of them is a biologist."

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Do you wanna join me for some fiction writing? I'm going to start posting fiction every weekend ... and thought I'd throw it out there if you wanted to join too. I'm going to get the prompts from Creative Writing Prompts, and I'm having friends pick random numbers of each one.

This weekend is #235:"Beverly Cooper and Kenneth Salvador meet when she discovers someone has broken into her house. One of them is a biologist."

No rules ... it can be short, long, a poem, a drama, a comedy, a romance ... whatever you want it to be.

I'll have a linky up Saturday morning and keep it up all weekend. Join if you wanna!

Last Friday we went to go eat at Cici's ... it's cheap, gets you out of the house, and Leah can eat all the pizza she wants while Andrew and I try to limit the amount we eat. In the parking lot outside the restaurant there was a 'parking lot fair' going on ... 'parking lot fair' is my term for it, but I think it fits!

I thought ... hey we can just go and walk around and that will be fun! We don't have to spend money ... just walk around and have fun. Well, that lasted until Leah saw the 'fishy ride' and just had to ride it. Well, at $2 a ride ... Leah and Daddy talked me into it.

I mean ... come on ... they use a rope as a seat belt and the ride starts off with the carnival man giving it a running start (although he knew I was concerned so Leah's running start wasn't that fast).

and ... she loved it! LOVED IT! and I'm glad I let her go on it! The kids in front were waving their hands, so at one point Leah decided to be daring (that picture is in the collage below).

and then .... Leah cried as we left. I am so ready for the day that we can have fun and not have the fun time ruined by a crying child because she doesn't want to leave... sigh ...